Mattias Janmark and Leon Draisaitl scored less than one minute apart in the second period as the host Edmonton Oilers battled back from an early two-goal deficit to beat the Dallas Stars 5-2 on Wednesday and even the NHLB次元官网网址檚 Western Conference final at two games apiece.
Ryan McLeod, Evan Bouchard and Mattias Ekholm, into an empty net, had the other goals for Edmonton. Stuart Skinner made 20 saves. Connor McDavid added two assists.
Wyatt Johnston and Esa Lindell replied for Dallas, which got 24 stops from Jake Oettinger. Jamie Benn had two assists.
The best-of-seven series now shifts back to Dallas for Game 5 on Friday. Game 6 is set for Sunday in Edmonton.
LEON LIGHTS THE LAMP 馃毃
B次元官网网址� Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers)
Tied 2-2 after a back-and-forward first period, Edmonton grabbed its first lead at 14:31 of the second when Janmark took a pass from Connor Brown on a short-handed 2-on-1 and buried it for his second goal of the playoffs to send Rogers Place into a frenzy.
Draisaitl doubled the OilersB次元官网网址� lead 51 seconds later when he connected with Zach Hyman, who had an earlier breakaway stopped, on a give-and-go off the rush for his 10th.
Skinner made a big stop on Evgenii Dadonov with the rink still buzzing to keep Edmonton up 4-2 through 40 minutes.
Dallas came out with energy to start the third, but unlike Monday when the Oilers had no answer, this time Edmonton was able to weather the storm.
The Stars got their second power play with eight minutes left in regulation, but the Oilers killed off their 23rd straight penalty before Ekholm scored his fourth to pick up the franchiseB次元官网网址檚 first home victory in the conference final since May 23, 2006.
Edmonton made three lineup changes as defenceman Philip Broberg drew into the lineup along with McLeod and fellow forward Corey Perry for Vincent Desharnais, Warren Foegele and Sam Carrick.
The move to insert the fleet-footed Broberg came with Dallas having stretched the OilersB次元官网网址� structure through the first three games by sending forwards bolting from the defensive zone in hopes of a quick transition.
The changes didnB次元官网网址檛 have the desired effect early as Edmonton, which blew a 2-0 lead in Game 3 before losing 5-3, came out flat to start the first.
Johnston scored his ninth just 58 seconds in when he snapped the gameB次元官网网址檚 first shot past SkinnerB次元官网网址檚 glove on a 2-on-1. Lindell made it 2-0 at 5:29 with his third goal of the playoffs.
Skinner had to be sharp on a Tyler Seguin chance moments later or the Oilers would have been down three.
The crowd gave the home side a sarcastic cheer when Edmonton finally registered its first shot more than eight minutes into the game.
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McLeod breathed life into the Oilers at 13:30 when he popped a loose puck upstairs for his first point of the playoffs after Oettinger couldnB次元官网网址檛 squeeze PerryB次元官网网址檚 initial shot.
Bouchard tied it just 2:47 later when the Stars goaltender could only kick McDavidB次元官网网址檚 initial attempt into the slot for the defenceman to score his sixth.
EdmontonB次元官网网址檚 power play, which had yet to connect in the series entering Monday, got a chance late in the period and had a couple of terrific looks, including a McDavid redirection that was foiled by OettingerB次元官网网址檚 errant goal stick lying in the crease after it was knocked from his grasp.
BLACK AND BLUE
Stars defenceman Chris Tanev (lower-body injury) left in the second period and didnB次元官网网址檛 return.
NURSEB次元官网网址橲 DEFENCE
Oilers defenceman Darnell Nurse, who entered Wednesday a playoff-worst minus-12, was backed by McDavid before Game 4.
B次元官网网址淏ig part of our room,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淕ives us everything heB次元官网网址檚 got.B次元官网网址�
BIRTHDAY OFF
Desharnais was a healthy scratch on his 28th birthday. The hulking blueliner, who hit the post in the third period of Game 3, has one assist in 15 playoff appearances this spring.
Joshua Clipperton, The Canadian Press
